Cape Town, South Africa — Canadians and South Africans believe in sustainable development through good governance. At a signing ceremony today with South African Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan, the Honourable Julian Fantino, Minister of International Cooperation, announced a new project to assist the Government of South Africa in strengthening public institutions that are capable of delivering quality services to its people.
I am pleased to be in South Africa to announce this strategic initiative, which will support the success of past Canadian-South African cooperation and underscores the changing relationship of our two countries, said Minister Fantino. "Canada's support will help the Government of South Africa respond to the future needs of its population. This will contribute to social and economic progress in South Africa, which is important not only for South Africans, but for the continent as a whole."
Positive development in South Africa over recent years has transformed Canada's relationship from one of assistance to partnership. Today's strategic announcement will ensure that Canada's historic development investments in South Africa and surrounding region are sustained by a strong domestic system in the future. The Building a Capable State project, through the Technical Assistance Unit of the Government of South Africa's National Treasury, will support the delivery of quality public services to the population, particularly to marginalized groups. This initiative will also help strengthen government accountability by providing training and technical support to government departments to develop their policies, manage services to the population, and monitor their performance. The project will be delivered in collaboration with the South African Department of Performance Monitoring and Evaluation in the Office of the Presidency.
Economic Action Plan 2013 affirms Canada's commitment to international development investments in areas such as good governance. The new Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development will maintain the mandate of poverty alleviation. The amalgamation will help Canada continue to achieve greater efficiency, accountability, and focus to improve the lives of people in need around the world.
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